NEVERMORE : A twist to the tale
– Epilogue

Some months later

“Can you drive faster? I think we’re late and—” I blew a lock of hair, somehow arranging my puffy tulle lavender dress. It was taking up all the space in the car, blocking me from viewing halfway up the road and even cluttering up Ajax’s space. “Emma is going to kill me!”

“First, I can’t because I’m already beyond the speed limit, and second, we’re not late,” my grumpy, unapproachable boyfriend in a beige suit drawled. “We’re two hours early. I may have lied to you, knowing your taste for punctuality.”

“What? You did that?” My anxious, screaming voice could have deafened him, even if I was somehow glad to not be late for my best friend’s wedding. “You know I love you, right? This is very mean and sneaky, but I truly do. Your annoying punctuality saves me each time.”

The last time was during our trip to the Dark Hedges, an avenue of creepy trees, and if Ajax’s alarm hadn’t rung an hour earlier than planned, we wouldn’t have seen the dawn. Everyone came in summertime, but I preferred the hostile fall. I remembered obligating him to sprawl with me in the middle of the road to take in the view, but the rebellious side of him didn’t, focusing on me and the creative madness of the second novel I was working on instead.

“You’re anxious, and when you are, you’re late and forget things.”

Of course, on top of being perfect-looking and knowing me much more than I knew myself, he had to have the annoying trait of keeping his promises: taking me to all the places in the world I wanted to visit with my two suitcases packed with dresses, inspiring me every hour of the day. As for me, I made it a tradition to buy him a new pendant for his rearview mirror, each more corny than the other.

“I’m the maid of honor—of course I’m freaking out. I’m supposed to maintain peace between the guests and all of that. Have you seen me? I’m chaotic, not peaceful.” And here I was lashing out another of my monologues at him. “Oh my god! The ring—did we get the wedding ring? We have to—”

“Breathe deep, my love. I packed everything. And you’re all I see, my fairy. Even if I’m not content with the idea of people stealing you from me, I’ll be satisfied to look at you freely and peacefully in a corner.”

Ajax frowned, eyeing his GPS doubtfully as we sank further and further down a small path in the forest, surrounded by a river. Emma’s wedding was at some castle, a two-hour drive from Paris and, if I recalled correctly, not too far from the beach coast. “Are you sure we’re not lost or something? It looks like we’re in an enchanted forest and—” I gasped. In the middle of the river, on a rock, there was a mewling ginger kitten. The hair raised on my skin. Cats didn’t like water. What on earth was he doing here? A tendril of protectiveness squeezed my lungs, and I didn’t think twice before screaming, “Stop the car now!”

Ajax suddenly swerved in the middle of the deserted road, and I unbuckled my seat belt, my big eyes on him.

“The cat! He’s going to drown, look!”

The meowing kitten was trying to replace a solution to outwit the water and return to the land. Whatever happened before, he probably had to swim to the rock, and the current was too strong for an animal of his weight.

Ajax squinted his eyes, assessing me and the cat in turn, as if he saw a kinship or something. “He’s a cat? How did he get into such a situation?”

“I don’t know, but this situation happens to the best of us! Maybe he’s clumsy, maybe someone evil dropped him there with his brothers and sisters and he’s the only survivor!” I shrieked as I opened the car door and rushed toward the stream. “We have to save him—we can’t leave him alone, or he’ll die! I can’t let him die. I—”

My heart pounding with anguish, I was about to make the impulsive decision to cross the river in my floor-brushing bridesmaid dress when Ajax stopped me, his arm blocking me from taking another step.

“Do you trust me?” he uttered, already taking off his jacket and his loafers.

It was just four words. Four words that calmed me because I had absolute trust in this man. He didn’t say anything else as I nodded, and he paced into the river, wetting his suit pants up to his knees. Stern and perfectionist Ajax, who didn’t like twists and turns, was in the middle of a stream, stepping on rocks to not lose his equilibrium to save a little kitten.

“You’re almost there!” I cheered on the sidelines, the kitten scaring me to the brink of diving into the water. This cat was looking for disaster. “And don’t scare him. I heard that if you blink, they’ll not think you’re a menace!”

Ajax turned to me and pinned me with a look as if I was asking too much of him. I shrugged, and he approached the cat, holding out a hand.

“Hi, little creature” was his definition of being sweet and unscary.

The kitten nonetheless seemed to have read into his soul and jumped into his arms. My heart melted a bit more at the sight of the animal cuddled up against him, his paw on his arm, despite the lack of reassuring words or cuddles coming from Ajax.

“He’s safe.” He arrived at my side, being careful to not hurt him, nestling him in his suit jacket. “He’s just a bit adventurous, like someone I know who likes to be wet.”

I couldn’t help but smile, holding the kitten soaked with shaggy hair on top of his skull and tiger eyes. Maybe that stray cat and I weren’t that different after all. He was certainly unusual, with a tendency to attract drama.

“We have to see if he belongs to someone.” Around us, there wasn’t the shadow of an expectant neighbor. The only sign of life nearby was from some kind of manor hidden behind an alley of trees. A small path led there like a portal to another world. “We have to ask them.”

We plunged into the path and came face-to-face with an imposing iron gate with a golden letter A on top.

“Ajax” was the only thing I could speak before I was muted.

Behind the gate, there were acres of gardens, with a huge weeping willow. My heart raced. It was a stone manor with ivy climbing the facade. The dark gray roof had peaks rising toward the sky, and the white stones of the manor brought in the light with large arched windows.

“Hi.” A lady with a formal suit, who must have been some kind of worker for the manor, interrupted our contemplation.

I gave her the best polite smile I could. “Hi. We found a cat on our way, and we were wondering if he was yours?”

“Oh no, I’m sorry, and there is no neighbor within a two-kilometer radius. Someone must have abandoned him—it happens frequently. Thankfully, you were able to save him. I’m not sure his family had the same lucky fate.” She gave the animal a look full of tenderness before focusing her attention back on us. “You’re here for the visit, right?”

“The visit?” Ajax and I said at the same exact time, exchanging a look.

“Yes, the proprietor of the manor, Mme Duchemin, told me you were coming as potential buyers. I wasn’t expecting you before half an hour, Mr. and Mme Becsec.”

“Oh, right.” I let my voice drift away for a couple of seconds before pinning Ajax with a look full of malice. “The visit to buy this beautiful manor. That’s why we drove here today.”

Ajax knitted his brows, playing along. “Right. I like to be early.”

“By all means, please come in.” The real estate agent opened the gate and waved us in. “For a second, I thought you were part of a theater troupe.”

Right—I was dressed in a puffy dress fit for a ballet, and Ajax’s trousers still weren’t dry. “Oh, no, we’re just going to a wedding! After the visit, obviously.”

“Oh, how lovely.” She glanced at Ajax from head to toe and leaned forward with a light smile. “You’re the tallest jockey I ever met. I did a bit of horseback riding during my teenage years.”

“Jockey?” Ajax gritted out between clenched teeth.

“Yes, I’ve read on your file that you’re a jockey. Jockeys are usually below one meter seventy, and you’re, well, tall.” She had to crane her neck up to evaluate his size.

I bit my lower lip to contain a laugh. Almost two meters tall, Ajax had stolen the identity of a jockey. This was all too good to be true.

“My horse is resistant,” he deadpanned without an inch of emotion.

The real estate agent seemed destabilized, but she didn’t dig for more information as we strode to the manor, and although having an intuition, Ajax and I were not prepared. We’d been searching for a place to call home for weeks in between our travels: not too far from the capital, remote enough to not deal with neighbors, bonus points if it was by the sea, and a place that would spark our creativity. I checked the mobile data on my phone because no data would have been a deal breaker. It worked, even better than I’d have imagined. We arrived inside the hallway. It was bright, with enough space for Ajax’s marble statues. Another good point checked on the list.

“You can start upstairs. I’ll get right back to you.” The real estate agent beamed.

Ajax and I headed to the top to land in a room that would have been perfect for a period ballroom, giving a dark academia aesthetic, with vaults like in a gothic temple and chandeliers hanging on the ceilings. I whirled around with our newly adopted cat.

“I imagine lighting candles on a rainy day with the smell of pine trees and pumpkins. Us, dancing from one window to another like two memories in the shape of shadows immortalized into the stones, the sound of classical music lapping above the merciless rain.” Phantom ants coursed through me, inspiration lashing in every fiber of my core. “And what do you imagine?”

Ajax readjusted the cuffs on his suit and deadpanned with his usual aloofness, “The sounds of your orgasm breaching through said rain of yours. Your hands misting the window as I’d savor the taste of you, and the fact that the heating bill will be terribly expensive since you will very often be naked.”

Oh my—I gasped at the same time the realtor was making her entrance back with euphoria and enthusiasm, half out of breath after rushing up the steps.

“I see it’d be a perfect place for you, Mme Becsec. The flooring is hardwood.” She gave me an instant look, her eyes bulging out of their sockets, and I had the feeling I was supposed to be somehow excited about this news.

She glanced from side to side, like one would tell a secret juicy gossip to her friends, “It’s maple.”

“Ohh.” I didn’t know what to say, so I bluntly knelt on the ground, and I hit the flooring with my knuckles like some woodpecker. “Unbelievable.”

“I knew you’d fall in love with it since you’re a tap dancer—this couldn’t be better! You want to try it?” She encouraged me with a little squeal like a squirrel, and my lips curved backward, my smile vanishing far away for a more hostile expression.

“Yes, darling, you should try it.” Ajax wet his lips, taking his superior air, and judging by the small grin on his mouth, I could tell he was enjoying my misery.

“Only if you ride a horse with your uniform, my knight,” I quipped back, narrowing my eyes on my boyfriend as I gave a friendly tap on the floor like it was my old mate. “I don’t have the right shoes, but this flooring sounds optimal. Top quality.”

I lifted myself up, and we continued our visit, immersing ourselves into our new identities for snatching that manor from the Becsec family without an ounce of remorse. It wasn’t heroic; this place wasn’t meant to be for us, but we shaped our destiny. I wasn’t ready to let go of an atelier giving way to the backyard, the smell of oceanic air perceptible from the balcony on the roof, nor the secret-garden vibes to be hidden from the tumult of the world to be inspired. It would be our corner of paradise before heading back to the madness of the world just an hour from here to live as many adventures as we craved.

But the moment I knew the Becsecs didn’t stand a chance against us for this manor was the moment I squeezed Ajax’s wrist as we arrived in the living room.

An enormous bookshelf with a rolling ladder painted in my favorite lavender color ran along the entire wall, rising to the ceiling. And they had dared to leave it empty and abandoned; in no time, I would have filled it with books, scented candles, and book geek things.

“Imagine how amazing your books will look on this shelf?” Ajax whispered from behind me, the rasp of his voice giving me goosebumps.

“Yes.” In a flash, the life we would have together flashed in my brain, until the days when our skin would be wrinkled. He was my person, the one I’d have an undying love for.

“I think one of my favorite activities will be when you read to me, and I’ll be immortalizing every world you’re creating for us with drawings of you. I’ll be human with you, my muse.”

My eyes would have watered if it wasn’t for the real estate agent interrupting us.

“The bookshelf can be removed. It’s a bit spacy, and the color is—”

“Don’t you dare do that!” I snapped at the poor real estate agent, my expression turning feral. “This—” I aimed at the bookshelf. “This is a piece of art.”

“Don’t touch her bookshelf,” Ajax added. “She’s not kidding.”

“I’m so not kidding.”

“Right, then it stays.” She clasped her hands. “So, I’ll give you two a minute, and then we’ll discuss what you thought of the manor.”

“What are we gonna do? We’re not Mr. and Mme Becsec?” I whispered, watching her already preparing the paperwork.

“Let me take care of it.”

Ajax displayed his deadliest scowl and cleared his throat, and just like that, I knew he’d strike a deal at all costs. And he did just that in less than five minutes, with intakes of very short sentences and a fat check.

And so we walked out of our new acquisition, Ajax’s hand behind my back and my bridesmaid dress scraping the floor as I smirked, feeling invincible by his side. A luxury car parked right in front of the gate, and a couple got out.

The man, no less than one meter seventy, wore a fine brown checkered blazer, riding boots, and had a bourgeois attitude, walking in an austere manner. His wife, a tall woman twice his size, had a shockingly huge hat, a ferret fur scarf to accompany her red lipstick on her pinched lips, and a severe bun. The Becsecs. I raised a brow just when we were about to cross one another. They had the certainty this manor would be theirs, eyeing the way I was dressed with judgment.

“The house is not for sale anymore,” Ajax dropped, cold and merciless, not sparing them a glance.

The Becsecs displayed an expression of disgust, twitching their lips backward, and their vile little eyes squinted.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re villainous.”

“Not as much as you are, my muse.”

“You have to keep Lucky.” Our newly adopted cat named after our four-leaf clover. “I need to replace Emma and Luna. Are you going to be okay?” I asked Ajax in the middle of the wedding preparation.

I knew a wedding for Ajax was what a funeral is for others: the crowd already whispering while they took their seats in the chapel, the abundance of them already crying with joy or regret, the sweet words you have to come up with or else you’d be a jerk.

“I’ve lived worse than a wedding, Aurore.” He was about to kiss me when his carved face shadowed with a dash of annoyance at the sight of Archibald coming our way with determined footsteps. “Scratch that—I’m not going to be okay.”

Even Lucky meowed and somehow frowned in a grumpy way inside Ajax’s embrace, despite the fact I had given him the ribbon that tied my hair so he’d look fitting for the event.

“What are you doing with a cat?” Archibald’s forehead creased, analyzing our Lucky. “Wow, what a weird cat. He has a grumpy face just like—” He lifted his head to see his aloof brother without an ounce of friendliness. “He’s lovely, just like you, Ajax. Did you even sleep? You look like an undead.”

“Thanks, Arch.” Ajax readjusted his suit. “In case you didn’t know, it was my gallery opening in Miami before yesterday, which you were invited to, by the way.”

“Next time, it’d be easier to come if you don’t tell me a day after it’s over, huh?” Archibald focused his attention on our newly adopted cat, who he petted. “And if only you weren’t being your usual self, you would have known your own brother was indeed there, and he doesn’t look like an undead.”

A flash of surprise etched over Ajax’s face. “You were there?”

“I can be a ghost too when I want to. It was your big day.”

Ajax simply nodded, turning back to me and seizing my hand. “Be safe. If you need me, you call me.”

“It’s a wedding, Ajax, not a gun tournament. I’m perfectly safe.” I kissed him on the cheek and rushed toward the fitting rooms with the bride’s lily bouquet in my hands.

The first thing that captured my eyes when I slammed open the door was the view of my best friend in a sumptuous princess wedding dress in this castle-like scenery. It was a classical bustier but so pretty. She swaggered with a fan, exhaling shaky breaths with rosy makeup on, Rosalind lying at her feet with a cute pink tiara on.

“Emma! You’re so perfect, oh my god!” I shook the bouquet with excitement and probably ended up killing all the new buds, so I put it on the nearest table. “But please don’t cry.”

“Aurore! I have something to tell you!” She squeezed my hands and exchanged a glance with Luna, who looked quite excited in a beautiful light pastel blue mermaid dress and butterfly hair clip.

“Don’t tell me he canceled the wedding!” I was ready to pull off my shoes and chase him to hell with it.

“No, of course not!” Emma had tears trickling down her cheeks as she waved her hands, glancing to the ceiling to hold in her new waterfall of tears. “I’ve been trying to reach you for half an hour!”

“Sorry, Ajax is with Lucky, and we bought a house—well, a manor—and—” I paused, lifting a finger up. “Your big day. This story is for another time.”

“What?” Emma’s eyes widened, and her need to cry suddenly left her. Even Rosalind, that lazy dog, at the mention of Ajax straightened her ears and got into a sitting position.

“Who’s Lucky?” It was Luna’s turn to squint at me.

“We adopted a kitten we rescued. A grumpy ginger cat who likes to be wet.”

“Oh, that’s touching. You will start a family too.” Emma seized my hand, almost breaking my bones with how tense she was. Huh. Start a family too? “And you won’t be that far from me.”

“What? Ajax is with a cat right now? This is too good!” Luna sprinted out of the room, already chuckling with mischief.

“Wait, you said start a family too? You’re—” The words didn’t come out of my mouth. “You are… He has you… are you going to have—”

“I am pregnant!” Her scream echoed so loudly that I believed she’d just shared the news with all the guests.

“Okay, I can’t breathe with this corset anymore!” I bent over, a hand on my waist, trying to replace some air in this room under the shock of the news. “That’s great, Emma. You almost gave me a heart attack, but I’m so happy for you!”

“And of course, you will be the sarcastic but most incredible godparent.” She jumped in the same spot, hissing a scream of excitement. “If you accept, of course! Léo doesn’t even know yet. I’ll surprise him on the wedding night.”

“It’s amazing. Of course, I’ll give her romance novels so she’ll settle for no less than a book boyfriend.” This was my blessing to her child as the wicked godmother.

Emma chuckled. “And if it’s a boy?”

“He’ll know how to treat a woman the right way,” I affirmed.

Emma would finally have her “they lived together happily and had lots of children forever and ever.” The tale usually stops at this point of the story, but destiny had another outcome for me because my story was far from being over. In a certain way, it had just begun.

Luna popped into the room again. “You have to see this—it’s excellent! Quick!”

We didn’t ask questions and rushed to the door. We leaned behind it, each to a different level of height, to peer at the show in question by the chapel.

I had to burst into laughter. Ajax was surrounded by the guests, standing a head taller than everyone else, holding Lucky in his arms with a stoic, inscrutable expression. All of them were trying to pet Lucky and talk to my Greek warrior in a suit about how his kitten was adorable and where we had gotten him.

He who didn’t like people and being under the spotlight was served. Even Lucky did not respond to any caresses and had eyes only for Ajax, pleading with him to get away from here.

“What wouldn’t he do for love? It would be my nightmare too,” Luna sympathized.

Archibald joined us, leaning on the door with his elbow. “I hope you never make him forget this memory.”

Our eyes met from across the crowd, and I bit my lower lip. “I think I have to go save my boyfriend.”